EP1481409A1

EP1481409A1 - Electrochemical capacitor and method for its preparation

Info

Publication number: EP1481409A1
Application number: EP03706884A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yoel Lang
Original assignee: Cellergy Ltd
Current assignee: Cellergy Ltd
Priority date: 2002-02-19
Filing date: 2003-02-18
Publication date: 2004-12-01
Anticipated expiration: 2023-02-18
Also published as: US6937460B2; DE60302654D1; CA2476284C; US20050007727A1; CN1647221A; JP2005518662A; KR100932802B1; US20040017646A1; CN100463085C; KR20050018640A; CA2476284A1; US7212397B2; DE60302654T2; US20050089754A1; AU2003208590A1; US6773468B2; AU2003208590B2; EP1481409B1; ATE312405T1; WO2003071563A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a double layer capacitor comprising: at least a pair of current collector plates that are placed in parallel to each other, flat electrodes containing aqueous electrolyte printed on opposing faces of said current collectors, such that a peripheral region is defined on each of said faces of said current collectors, which region is not covered by said electrode, and a separator interposed between said electrodes, the geometric form and size of said separator being identical to the form and size of said current collector plates, said separator having a central region permeable to said electrolyte, surrounded by a peripheral masked region which is non-permeable to said electrolyte, such that the permeable region of said separator coincide with the electrodes printed on the opposing faces of said current collectors, with respect to position, geometric form and size; wherein the pores in the peripheral region of the separator are impregnated with a suitable sealant, and wherein one or more layers of adhesives are deposited on said sealant in said peripheral region. Also provided are method involving printing techniques for preparing electrochemical cells based-energy storage devices, and printable composition suitable for the preparation of electrodes for electrochemical cells based-energy storage devices.

Description

Electrochemical Capacitor and Method for its Preparation

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to energy storage devices, and specifically, to electrochemical capacitors, and to a method for preparing the same. In particular, the invention relates to the production of electrochemical capacitors or batteries based on aqueous electrolyte, and to an improved method of encapsulation thereof.

Background of the Invention

There exists a need, in many different technological areas, for using electrochemical capacitors or batteries having small dimensions as energy storage devices.

In their most usual configuration, electrochemical capacitors, also known in the art as double layer capacitors, comprises a pair of flat electrodes saturated with a suitable electrolyte, wherein said electrodes are separated by a separating medium disposed therebetween. The separating medium, which may be either a porous sheet (known in the art as a separator) , or a membrane, prevents the passage of electrical current in the form of electrons between the electrodes, while allowing ionic current to flow therebewteen, due to the porous nature of the separator or the gel type matrix of the membrane. Each of the flat electrodes is placed on a surface of a suitable plate, said plate often being referred to in the art as a current collector. The appropriately sealed capacitor is electrically connected to a suitable load by means of external terminals.

The electrical capacity of the above-described system is attributed to the double-layer formed at the interface of the solid electrode and the electrolyte solution following the application of electrical potential on the pair of electrodes .

Electrochemical capacitors are generally divided into two distinct categories, according to the type of electrolyte used for preparing the electrode, which may be either an aqueous or organic electrolyte solution. The former type may generate up to 1.2 volt per cell, whereas the latter type typically provides about 2.5 to 3.0 volts per cell.

The operating voltage of electrochemical capacitors may be increased by assembling a plurality of individual capacitors described above in series, to obtain an arrangement known in the art as a bipolar capacitor. The art has suggested numerous types of electrochemical capacitors, attempting to improve, inter alia, the structural features of the capacitor, the chemical composition of the electrode material placed therein and of the adhesives used for sealing said capacitor, and the processes for fabricating the same.

Attempts to fabricate a single electrochemical capacitor and a bipolar arrangement based thereon have met with two main difficulties. The first difficulty is related to the attachment of the electrode to the current collector plate, or its deposition thereon. The second difficulty relates to the sealing of the circumferential region of the electrochemical capacitor, in order to prevent the seepage of the electrolyte solution from the electrochemical cell.

US 3,536,963 discloses an electrochemical capacitor comprising electrodes which are made by mixing activated carbon particles with an aqueous electrolyte (e.g., sulfuric acid) , to obtain a viscous paste, which is subsequently compressed to form the electrodes. Each of the electrodes is placed within an annular gasket which is affixed to a circular current collector plate, following which the separator is interposed between the electrodes.

US 4,604,788 discloses a chemical composition for carbon paste electrodes comprising activated carbon particles, aqueous electrolyte and fumed silica, to provide a pumpable carbon-electrolyte mix. The fabrication of the capacitor involves the filling of an electrode cavity with the pumpable mixture, following which excess water is removed by a procedure described in the patent.

US 6,212,062 discloses an electrochemical capacitor based on a solution of organic electrolyte, and a method for fabricating the same.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved, economically superior and industrially applicable method for manufacturing energy storage devices that comprise an aqueous electrolyte, such as electrochemical capacitors or batteries, which method is based on printing techniques . It is another object of the present invention to provide a printable composition suitable for the preparation of electrodes for use in electrochemical capacitors, which printable composition may be easily and conveniently applied in the production of said capacitors by means of various printing techniques.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an electrochemical capacitor featuring novel electrode composition and improved structural characteristics .

Summary of the Invention

In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing energy storage devices that contain electrochemical cells, and specifically, double layer capacitors, comprising the steps of:

a) Providing a printable composition suitable for use as an electrode, comprising an active material, which is preferably in the form of carbon particles in admixture with an aqueous electrolyte;

b) Placing a first template on one face of a current collector, wherein said first template is provided in the form of a sheet consisting of region (s) permeable to said printable composition, and masked region (s), non-permeable to said composition, wherein said masked region (s) of said first template include the margins thereof; c) Applying said printable composition through said first template onto said face of said current collector, thereby forming well-defined electrode region (s) thereon;

d) Repeating steps b) and c) to produce a second current collector identical to the current collector of step (c) ;

e) Placing a second template on a face of a separating medium which may be either a porous film or a membrane, wherein said second template is provided in the form of a sheet consisting of masked and non-masked region(s), wherein said second template is essentially complementary to said first template, such that said masked regions on said second template correspond with the permeable regions of the first template;

f) Blocking the pores of said separating medium in those regions thereof which correspond with those regions of the current collector that have no electrodes printed thereon, and subsequently applying through the non-masked regions of said second template one or more adhesive materials onto said face of said separating medium;

g) Attaching the adhesive face of said separating medium to the first current collector, such that the non-masked region (s) on said face of said separating medium coincide with the electrode (s) printed on the face of said first current collectors, with respect to position, geometric form and size;

h) Repeating steps e) and f) with respect to the second face of said separating medium; i) Placing said second current collector on said second face of said separator, such that the non-masked regions on said second face of said separator coincide with the electrode (s) printed on the face of said second current collector, with respect to position, geometric form and size .

As used herein, the term "printable composition" refers to a mixture exhibiting the necessary physical properties for application in printing techniques, such as screen- printing, stencil-printing and roller-coating. The inventor has surprisingly found that it is possible to improve the flowability properties and the thixotropicity of the composition used to prepare the electrodes according to the invention, thus rendering said composition particularly suitable for screen-printing applications, by mixing the active components (e.g., the carbon material and the aqueous electrolyte) in specific weight ratios and by introducing into the composition a combination of specific additives .

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the printable composition used for preparing the electrodes comprises high surface area activated carbon particles and an aqueous electrolyte, wherein the preferred weight ratio between said activated carbon particles and said aqueous electrolyte is in the range of 1:8 to 1:20, and most preferably in the range of 1:10 to 1:18.

Preferably, the printable composition used for preparing the electrodes according to the invention further comprises one or more additives selected from the group consisting of inorganic fillers, which are preferably chosen from among fumed silica, high surface area alumina, bentonites or other clays, glass spheres and ceramics; one or more hydroxy-containing compounds, such as alcohols or polyols, wherein the hydroxy group (s) is (are) attached to C₁-C₇ alkyl, C₂-C₇ alkenyl, C₃-C₇ alkynyl or C₃-C₇ carbocyclic radical; and a salt. The inventor has surprisingly found that the presence of small amounts of one or more salts in combination with polyols reduces the viscosity of the printable composition. Thus, according to a particularly preferred embodiment, the printable composition comprises hydroxy-containing compound that is a polyol, and most preferably, propylene glycol, together with a small amount of a salt, which is preferably NaCl.

As used hereinabove, the term "separating medium" encompasses both separators and membranes according to their acceptable meanings in the art. Most preferably, the separating medium is provided in the form of a porous film known in the art as a separator.

Preferably, the method according to the invention comprises blocking the pores of said separator in those regions thereof which correspond with those regions of the current collector that have no electrodes printed thereon by applying through the non-masked regions of said second template a suitable sealant onto the face of said separator and rapidly curing said sealant to prevent passage thereof into those regions of the separator which need to be in contact with the electrode. Subsequently, one or more adhesive layers are applied onto the blocked regions of the separator, to allow the attachment of said separator to the current collector.

The fabrication method according to the invention provides a laminated structure, the external layers of which are the current collectors plates having well-defined electrode regions printed on their internal faces, and intermediate layer, which is a continuous separating medium interposed between the internal faces of the current collectors and affixed thereto by means of suitable adhesives, such that the electrodes are confined within said well-defined regions, the seepage of the electrolyte solution from said regions being prevented by virtue of the sealant blocking the pores of the separating medium and the adhesives provided along the perimeter of the electrodes.

The fact that the intermediate separator constitutes a continuous medium along the laminated structure described above is an important feature of the present invention, since, as may be readily appreciated, the electrochemical capacitors may be easily isolated from said laminated structure such that in each individual capacitor, the separator interposed between the electrodes is contiguous with the boundaries of the capacitor, and therefore, each individual capacitor is provided with an effective circumferential enclosure due to the sealant peripherally blocking the pores of the separator, and the adhesive layer (s) deposited on said sealant in the margins of said separator. The electrochemical capacitor obtained by a preferred embodiment of the preparation method according to the invention is characterized by novel structural features, associated with the sequential blocking of the pores of the separator. Thus, in another aspect, the present invention provides an electrochemical capacitor comprising: at least a pair of current collector plates that are placed in parallel to each other, flat electrodes containing aqueous electrolyte printed on opposing faces of said current collectors, such that a peripheral region is defined on each of said faces of said current collectors, which region is not covered by said electrode, and a separator interposed between said electrodes, the geometric form and size of said separator being identical to the form and size of said current collector plates, said separator having a central region permeable to said electrolyte, surrounded by a peripheral masked region which is non-permeable to said electrolyte, such that the permeable region of said separator coincide with the electrodes printed on the opposing faces of said current collectors, with respect to position, geometric form and size; wherein the pores in the peripheral region of the separator are impregnated with a suitable sealant, and wherein one or more layers of adhesives are deposited on said sealant.

Preferably, the sealant blocking the pores of the separator in the electrochemical capacitor according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention is made of a printable, rapidly curable material, and is most preferably UV curable epoxy . The electrochemical capacitor obtained by a preferred embodiment of the preparation method according to the invention is characterized by novel chemical features, associated with the composition of the electrode. Thus, in another aspect, the present invention provides an electrochemical capacitor comprising: at least a pair of current collector plates that are placed in parallel to each other, flat electrodes containing aqueous electrolyte printed on opposing faces of said current collectors, such that a peripheral region is defined on each of said faces of said current collectors, which region is not covered by said electrode, and a separator interposed between said electrodes, the geometric form and size of said separator being identical to the form and size of said current collector plates, said separator having a central region permeable to said electrolyte, surrounded by a peripheral masked region which is non-permeable to said electrolyte, such that the permeable region of said separator coincide with the electrodes printed on the opposing faces of said current collectors, with respect to position, geometric form and size; and wherein the electrode comprises carbon particles, aqueous electrolyte, inorganic filler selected from the group consisting of fumed silica, high surface area alumina, bentonites, glass spheres and ceramics and one or more hydroxy-containing compound (s), which are preferably alcohols or polyols, wherein the hydroxy group (s) is (are) attached to C₁-C₇ alkyl, C₂-C₇ alkenyl, C₃-C₇ alkynyl or C₃-C carbocyclic radicals, and optionally an inorganic salt, which is preferably selected from the group of alkali halides. Preferably, the inorganic filler is fumed silica, the hydroxy-containing compound is a polyol, which is preferably propylene glycol, and the salt is NaCl.

In another aspect, the present invention relates to bipolar electrochemical capacitor comprising, as a basic cell unit, the electrochemical capacitor disclosed above.

All the above and other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be further understood from the following illustrative and non-limitative description of preferred embodiments thereof.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows a current collector before and after the deposition of electrodes thereon by the method of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a separator before and after the partial masking of well-defined regions thereof by the method of the present invention.

Figures 3a and 3b provide sectional views of laminated structures obtainable according to the present invention.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

The method for preparing an electrochemical capacitor according to the present invention involves the preparation of a printable composition comprising carbon material, an aqueous electrolyte and preferably one or more additives selected from the group consisting of fumed silica and hydroxy-containing compounds which are preferably alcohols or polyols.

Preferably, the printable composition used to prepare the electrodes according to the present invention comprises carbon particles having specific surface area above 800 m²-g^_1, and more preferably above 1200 m²-g^-1. Suitable carbon particles include, but not limited to, activated carbon or activated charcoal and carbon black. Methods for preparing activated carbon suitable for use in the preparation of electrodes for electrochemical capacitors are known in the art (see, for example, US 6,310,762). Commercially available activated carbon for use according to the present invention is, for example, Black Pearl carbon 2000 manufactured by Cabot. The percentage of the carbon material of the total weight of the printable composition is in the range of 4 to 10 (wt%), and more preferably in the range of 5 to 9 (wt%) .

The printable composition used to prepare the electrodes according to the present invention comprises an aqueous electrolyte, which may be either acidic or alkaline solution. Preferred electrolytes are strong or weak acids such as sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid and hydrobromic acid, most preferred being an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid. The weight percentage of the aqueous solution of the electrolyte of the total weight of the printable composition is in the range of 80 to 96 (wt%) , and more preferably in the range of 85 to 95 (wt%) , with the weight ratio between the carbon material and said aqueous electrolytic solution being above 1:8, and more preferably between 1:10 to 1:18. The printable composition used to prepare the electrodes according to the present invention comprises inorganic filler having thickening and thixotropic properties selected from the group consisting of fumed silica, high surface area alumina, bentonites or other clays, glass spheres and ceramics, most preferred being fumed silica, which is amorphous silicon dioxide having high external surface area. Commercially available fumed silica includes, for example, CAB-O-SIL™ M-5 (CAS No. 112945-52-5) . The weight percentage of the inorganic filler of the total weight of the printable composition is in the range of 0.1% to 4%, and more preferably in the range of 0.5% to 2.5%.

The printable composition used to prepare the electrodes according to the present invention preferably comprises a compound containing one or more hydroxy groups, and more specifically, alcohols or polyols, wherein the hydroxy group (s) is (are) attached to Cχ-C alkyl, C₂-C₇ alkenyl, C₂- C₇ alkynyl or C₃-C₇ carbocyclic radicals, or a mixture of such hydroxy-containing compounds. Most preferred are polyols such as 1, 2-ethanediol or 1,2- propandiol (i.e, propylene glycol) . The percentage of the hydroxy-containing compound (s) of the total weight of the printable composition is in the range of 0.1 to 20 (% wt) , and more preferably in the range of 0.3% to 10%.

It has been unexpectedly found that the presence of alkali halide salt in an amount of about 0.2 to 5 (wt%) of the total weight of the printable composition, improves the flowability properties of said composition. Other additives that can be used in the preparation of the printable composition according to the present invention may be selected from the group consisting of metal oxides (e.g., oxides of platinum, titanium and ruthenium), thickening and thixotropic agents, surface-active agents, wetting agents, emulsifiers (e.g., fish oil), polymers and copolymers such as polyvinylacetate (PVA) , polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) , polyethylene glycol (PEG), PAA, Carbomer, gelatin, water based adhesives, quinones or polyquinones . Graphite and carbon in the form of carbon fibers, fullerenes and buckeyballs may also be used in the preparation of the printable composition.

The printable composition according to the invention may be prepared by mixing together the solid constitutes (i.e., the carbon material and the inorganic filler) , and subsequently gradually adding the liquids comprising the aqueous electrolyte and the hydroxy-containing compound, (i.e., the alcohol (s) or polyol(s)) to the solid mixture, optionally together with the salt, while continuously vigorously mixing the blend to obtain a uniform composition having paste-like consistency. However, the printable composition may also be prepared by a different order of operations, such as by adding the fumed silica into a mixture of the carbon material, the electrolyte solution and the alcohol (s) or polyol(s).

Figure 1 schematically illustrates the process of forming well-defined electrode regions on a current collector plate by means of screen-printing technique. It should be noted, however, that other printing techniques, such as stencil printing, may also be applied for depositing the electrodes onto the current collector.

Referring now to figure 1, current collector plate 1 is made of a conductive material that is chemically inert to the aqueous electrolyte contained in the electrode. The current collector may be provided in the form of a metal foil, such as aluminum foil, plated metal or metal coated with a protective oxide. Alternatively, the current collector is a polymeric sheet, such as polyethylene or Polytetrafluoroethane (Teflon) , loaded with conductive particles such as carbon black, graphite, metallic or plated metallic particles. In another embodiment, the current collector has a multilayer structure comprising alternating layers of suitable polymers, metal foils and carbon or graphite, or similar combinations. The thickness of the current collector is preferably in the range of lOμm to 150μm.

Template 2 is provided in the form of a mesh or stencil suitable for use in printing techniques, wherein said mesh or stencil consists of regions 3 permeable to the printable composition, and masked regions 4, non-permeable to said composition, wherein each of said permeable regions has a well-defined geometrical form corresponding to the form of the final electrochemical capacitor to be produced. For the purpose of illustration, sixteen separated non-masked, permeable regions having a square shape are shown in the figure, although, of course, a different number of non- masked regions of other shapes, such as rectangular or circular shapes, is also applicable. Typically, in case that the non-masked, permeable regions are in the form of a square, the side thereof has a size in the range of 0.5 to 60 mm, more preferably 5 to 20 mm. An important feature of the template is that its margins 5 are always masked.

The template 2 may be prepared by masking commercially available screen (40 to 250 mesh) according to the desired pattern by methods well known in the art.

Current collector 1 is placed on the vacuum surface of a screen-printing device (not shown) , wherein template 2 is used as the screen. The printable composition according to the present invention is screen-printed through template 2 onto one face of the current collector 1. Numeral 11 shows the resulting current collector, having sixteen well- defined, separated electrode regions 12 thereon. The thickness of the electrode layer is typically about 10 to 120μ. The procedure described above is repeated in respect to a second current collector, to produce a second current collector having electrodes printed thereon.

Figure 2 illustrates a preferred mode of blocking the pores of the separator in those regions thereof that correspond with those regions of the current collectors that have no electrodes printed thereon. It should be noted, however, that various techniques may be used according to the present invention in order to selectively block the pores of the separator in the desired regions, which techniques include impregnating said pores with a suitable sealant, or with a mixture of sealants, wherein said sealant (s) may optionally be carried in a liquid vehicle. The impregnation may be accomplished by means of screen-printing or spraying the sealant onto said regions.

Alternatively, a polymeric sheet may be placed on the separator, following which said sheet is selectively heated in the desired regions, such that the molten polymer flows into the pores in said regions.

Other techniques for blocking the desired regions of the separator include the application of heat and/or pressure, in order to cause the porous structure to collapse in said regions. Combinations of the above-described techniques are also applicable according to the present invention.

It may be appreciated that according to the present invention, the sealant needs to be rapidly curable, that is, the sealant must be capable of transforming from a flowable form into solid, non-flowable form, within a short period of time, in order to avoid its passage into those regions of the separator which need to be in contact with the electrode. Typically, the sealant needs to be cured within seconds or minutes, depending on the thixotropic properties thereof and the characteristics of the separator (e.g., material, pore size). The curing of the sealant may be accomplished by methods known in the art, such as UV, IR or microwave or heat drying curing, or by polymerizing the sealant monomer by other means.

Figure 2 shows the selective blocking of the desired regions of the separator by means of screen-printing technique. Separator 6 used according to the present invention is provided in the form of an inert, porous, electronically non-conductive, ion-permeable film, made of material inert to the aqueous electrolyte contained in the electrodes . The separator may be a glass fiber sheet or may be made of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, cellulose, Teflon or PVDF, or a composite of a polymer and a suitable filler. Teflon or cellophane-made separators may be used in case of acidic or alkaline electrolyte, respectively. The thickness of the separator is in the range of 5 to 50μ and its porosity typically varies within the range of 30 to 80%.

A second template 7 is provided in the form of a screen or stencil suitable for use in printing techniques. The screen may be made of polyester, nylon, stainless steal or coated stainless. As shown in the figure, the screen consists of a plurality of separated masked regions 8 and a non-masked region 9, such that said screen is essentially complementary to the first template 2 shown in Figure 1. The preparation of template 7 is carried out similarly to that of template 2. The meshes of the template 7 must permit the penetration of the adhesive materials, which need to be screen printed onto the separator, into the pores of the separator. To this end, a mesh corresponding to about 20 cm³ per square meter printing volume is generally satisfactory.

Separator 6 is placed on the vacuum surface of a screen- printing device (not shown) wherein template 7 is used as the screen. The pores of separator 6 are blocked by a suitable sealant that is screen-printed onto Separator 6 through template 7. The resulting, partially blocked separator is indicated by numeral 10, wherein the non- masked and blocked regions are indicated by numerals 13 and 14, respectively. The sealant used may be selected from the group consisting of hot melt adhesives, solvent based adhesives, polyurethanes, silicones, cyanoacrylates, PVC adhesives, Acrylic adhesives, UV based adhesives, water based glues, polysulfides rubber or synthetic rubbers, phenolic resins pressure sensitive adhesives, UV cured pressure sensitive adhesives and solvent based pressure sensitive adhesives. Most preferably, epoxy that is based on UV curing is screen-printed onto the separator 6, and is subsequently immediately cured by means of exposure to UV light.

Having cured the sealant used to block region 14 of separator 10, one or more adhesive layers are screen- printed onto separator 10 through template 7. Suitable adhesives may be selected from among the classes specified above .

The adhesive face of separator 10 is subsequently affixed to the first current collector, such that the non-masked regions 13 on said face of said separator coincide with the electrodes 12 printed on the face of said first current collectors, with respect to position, geometric form and size. The current collector and the separator may be pressed or laminated together in vacuum to exclude air voids. The structure obtained is placed on the vacuum table of a screen-printing device, with the separator facing upwardly, and the procedure described above regarding the blocking of the desired regions of the separator, and the subsequent application of adhesive layers onto the blocked regions is repeated with respect to the second face of the separator.

A second current collector is then affixed to the separator, to produce the laminated structure represented in Figure 3a. The laminated structure comprises external layers, which are the current collectors plates 11 having sixteen well-defined electrodes printed on their internal faces (not shown) , and intermediate layer, which is a continuous separator 10 interposed between the internal faces of the current collectors 11, said separator being impregnated with a suitable sealant, such that the pores of the separator are essentially blocked in those regions thereof which are not placed between the electrodes . The separator 10 is affixed to the current collectors 11 by means of adhesive layers 15, 16 (shown in black in the figure) .

It is apparent from the figure that the laminated structure according to the invention is sealed along its circumference by means of the sealant blocking the pores of separator 10, and adhesive layers 15 and 16 deposited on said sealant. The existence of distinct layers of a sealant material blocking the pores of the separator and one or more adhesives deposited thereon, is an important feature of the laminated structure according to the invention, which feature may be detected by using optical means.

Individual electrochemical capacitors may be easily isolated from the laminated structure described in Figure 3a, such that each individual capacitor comprises a pair of current collectors having electrodes printed on their internal faces and a separator interposed therebetween, the geometric form and size of said separator being identical to the form and size of said current collector, said separator being contiguous with the boundaries of the capacitor. Each of the isolated capacitors obtained is capable of storing charge and may be used as an electric double-layer capacitor with a dielectric strength corresponding to about 0.7 to 1.0 volts. For many practical utilities, however, it is preferred to assembly together a plurality of laminated structures of Figure 3a to produce the bi-polar arrangement illustrated in Figure 3b. it should be noted, that each face of internally placed current collector plates 17 is provided with well-defined regions of electrodes (not shown) printed thereon. According to the bi-polar configuration, the electrodes printed on different faces of a given current collector are oppositely charged. The assembly of a plurality of laminated structures of the invention, to obtain the bipolar configuration shown in Figure 3b, may be accomplished by methods known in the art.

The electrochemical capacitor according to the invention, either in its simplest form comprising one pair of current collectors having electrodes printed on their internal faces and a separator interposed therebetween, or in the bi-polar configuration, are isolated from the laminated structures of Figures 3a and 3b, respectively, ^"" and are subsequently packed within a suitable casing and connected to external terminals by methods well known in the art.

The following non-limiting working examples illustrate various aspects of the present invention. Examples

Example 1

Preparing a printable composition for the electrodes

Ingredients : Activated carbon Sulfuric acid Fumed silica

6 grams of high-surface area activated carbon (Black Pearl Carbon 2000 Manufactured by Cabot Corporation) were mixed with 1 gram of fumed silica (CAB-O-SIL ™ grade M-5 of Cabot Corporation) . To the powder obtained were added 93 grams of an aqueous solution of H₂S0₄ (4M) . Following an extensive mixing for 24 hours using ball mills, a paste-like composition is formed, suitable for screen-printing applications .

Example 2

Preparing a printable composition for the electrodes

Ingredients : Activated carbon Sulfuric acid Fumed silica Propylene glycol

35 grams of high-surface area activated carbon (Black Pearl Carbon 2000 Manufactured by Cabot Corporation) were mixed with 2 grams of fumed silica (CAB-O-SIL ™ grade M-5 of Cabot Corporation) . To the powder obtained was added a mixture of 520 grams of an aqueous solution of H₂S0₄ (3M) and 16 grams of propylene glycol. Following an extensive mixing for 24 hours using ball mills, a paste-like composition is formed, suitable for screen-printing applications.

Example 3

Preparing a printable composition for the electrodes

Ingredients : Activated carbon Sulfuric acid Fumed silica butanol

35 grams of high-surface area activated carbon (Black Pearl Carbon 2000 Manufactured by Cabot Corporation) were mixed with 2 grams of fumed silica (CAB-O-SIL ™ grade M-5 of Cabot Corporation) . To the powder obtained was added a mixture of 520 grams of an aqueous solution of H₂S0₄ (2.5M) and 16 grams of butanol. Following an extensive mixing for 24 hours using ball mills, a paste-like composition is formed, suitable for screen-printing applications.

Example 4

Preparing a printable composition for the electrodes

Ingredients : Activated carbon Sulfuric acid Fumed silica Propylene glycol Sodium chloride

35 grams of high-surface area activated carbon (Black Pearl Carbon 2000 Manufactured by Cabot Corporation) were mixed with 2 grams of fumed silica (CAB-O-SIL ™ grade M-5 of Cabot Corporation) . To the powder obtained was added a mixture of 520 grams of aqueous solution of H₂S0₄ (2M) , 13 grams of propylene glycol and 3 grams of sodium chloride. Following an extensive mixing for 24 hours using ball mills, a pastelike composition is formed, suitable for screen-printing applications .

Example 5

Depositing electrodes on current collectors

A current collector plate was placed on the vacuum table of a screen-rinting device provided with a polyester screen of 165 mesh, said screen having the form illustrated in Figure 1. The printable composition of example 4 was screen printed onto the one face of the current collector, to form sixteen separated electrodes thereon. The procedure was repeated in respect to a second current collector.

Example 6

Masking the pores of a separator and depositing adhesives thereon

A separator was placed on the vacuum table of a screen- printing device provided with a polyester screen of mesh corresponding to 18 cc per m² (325 mesh) , which screen has the form illustrated in Figure 2. UV curable epoxy (Vitralit 1712) was screen-printed onto the separator, which was immediately subjected to UV radiation, in order to rapidly cure the epoxy. The separator was placed again on the vacuum table of the screen-printing device, and a suitable adhesive (Diglyceretherbisphenol CH₂OCHCH₂0-C₆H₄C (CH₃)₂-C₆H₄OCH₂CHOCH₂ (Epon-828 manufactured by shell or GY- 250 manufactured by henkel) , in combination with Polypropyletheramine (Aradur 76 manufactured by Henkel) ) was screen-printed thereon using the mesh described above.

Example 7

Preparation of a laminated structure

The adhesive face of the separator obtained by Example 6 was affixed to the printed face of one of the current collectors according Example 5, and the procedure of Example 6 was repeated in respect to the open face of said separator, following which the second current collector was affixed thereto.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described for the purpose of illustration, it will be understood that the invention may be carried out in practice by skilled persons with many modifications, variations and adaptations, without departing from its spirit or exceeding the scope of the claims.

Claims

1) A method for preparing electrochemical cells based- energy storage devices, comprising the steps of:

a) Providing a printable composition suitable for use as an electrode, comprising an active material in admixture with an aqueous electrolyte;

b) Placing a first template on one face of a current collector, wherein said first template is provided in the form of a sheet consisting of region (s) permeable to said printable composition, and masked region (s), non-permeable to said composition, wherein said masked region (s) of said first template include the margins thereof;

c) Applying said printable composition through said first template onto said face of said current collector, thereby forming well-defined electrode region (s) thereon;

e) Placing a second template on a face of a separating medium which may be either a porous film or a membrane, wherein said second template is provided in the form of a sheet consisting of masked and non-masked region (s), wherein said second template is essentially complementary to said first template, such that said masked regions on said second template correspond with the permeable regions of the first template; f) Blocking the pores of said separating medium in those regions thereof which correspond with those regions of the current collector that have no electrodes printed thereon, and subsequently applying through the non-masked regions of said second template one or more adhesive materials onto said face of said separating medium;

h) Repeating steps e) and f) with respect to the second face of said separating medium;

i) Placing said second current .collector on said second face of said separator, such that the non-masked regions on said second face of said separator coincide with the electrode (s) printed on the face of said second current collector, with respect to position, geometric form and size .

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the printable composition used for preparing the electrodes comprises high surface area activated carbon particles and an aqueous electrolyte, wherein the weight ratio between said activated carbon particles and the aqueous solution of the electrolyte is in the range of 1:8 to 1:20.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the printable composition further comprises:

(i) one or more additives selected from the group consisting of fumed silica, high surface area alumina, clays, glass spheres and ceramics; and (ii) one or more hydroxy-containing compounds.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the printable composition comprises fumed silica and one or more hydroxy- containing compounds selected from the group consisting of of alcohols or polyols, or a mixture thereof.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the printable composition further comprises an alkali halide salt.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the polyol is propylene glycol and the salt is NaCl.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the separating medium is a separator provided in the form of a porous film, wherein the pores of said separator in those regions thereof which correspond with those regions of the current collector that have no electrodes printed thereon are blocked by applying through the non-masked regions of the second template a suitable sealant onto the face of said separator and rapidly curing said sealant.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the sealant is made of UV curable material.

9. A method according to claim 1 for preparing double-layer capacitors, further comprising either isolating individual double-layer capacitors from the laminated structure obtained after step (i) , or converting said laminated structure into bi-polar configuration and subsequently isolating individual bi-polar capacitors therefrom.

10. Double layer capacitor comprising: at least a pair of current collector plates that are placed in parallel to each other, flat electrodes containing aqueous electrolyte printed on opposing faces of said current collectors, such that a peripheral region is defined on each of said faces of said current collectors, which region is not covered by said electrode, and a separator interposed between said electrodes, the geometric form and size of said separator being identical to the form and size of said current collector plates, said separator having a central region permeable to said electrolyte, surrounded by a peripheral masked region which is non-permeable to said electrolyte, such that the permeable region of said separator coincide with the electrodes printed on the opposing faces of said current collectors, with respect to position, geometric form and size; wherein the pores in the peripheral region of the separator are impregnated with a suitable sealant, and wherein one or more layers of adhesives are deposited on said sealant in said peripheral region.

11. A capacitor according to claim 10, wherein the sealant blocking the pores of the separator is made of a printable, rapidly curable material .

12. Double layer capacitor comprising: at least a pair of current collector plates that are placed in parallel to each other, flat electrodes containing aqueous electrolyte printed on opposing faces of said current collectors, such that a peripheral region is defined on each of said faces of said current collectors, which region is not covered by said electrode, and a separator interposed between said electrodes, the geometric form and size of said separator being identical to the form and size of said current collector plates, said separator having a central region permeable to said electrolyte, surrounded by a peripheral masked region which is non-permeable to said electrolyte, such that the permeable region of said separator coincide with the electrodes printed on the opposing faces of said current collectors, with respect to position, geometric form and size; and wherein the electrode comprises carbon particles, aqueous electrolyte, inorganic filler selected from the group consisting of fumed silica, high surface area alumina, bentonites, glass spheres and ceramics and one or more hydroxy-containing compound (s), which are preferably alcohols or polyols, wherein the hydroxy group (s) is (are) attached to Cχ-C₇ alkyl, C₂-C₇ alkenyl, C₃-C₇ alkynyl or C₃-C₇ carbocyclic radicals, and optionally an alkali halide salt.

13. A capacitor according to claim 12, wherein the inorganic filler is fumed silica, the hydroxy-containing compound is propylene glycol and the salt is NaCl.

14. A bi-polar electrochemical capacitor comprising a basic cell in the form of a capacitor according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

15. Printable composition suitable for the preparation of electrodes for electrochemical cells based-energy storage devices, comprising high surface area activated carbon particles and an aqueous electrolyte, wherein the weight ratio between said activated carbon particles and the aqueous solution of the electrolyte is in the range of 1:8 to 1:20, and

(i) one or more additives selected from the group consisting of fumed silica, high surface area alumina, clays, glass spheres and ceramics;

(ii) one or more hydroxy-containing compounds.

16. Printable composition according to claim 15, wherein the hydroxy containing compound is an alcohol or a polyol, wherein the hydroxy group (s) is (are) attached to Cι-C₇ alkyl, C₂-C₇ alkenyl, C₃-C₇ alkynyl or C₃-C₇ carbocyclic radicals .

17. Printable composition according to claim 16, further comprising alkali halide salt.

18. Printable composition according to claim 17, wherein the polyol is propylene glycol and the salt is sodium chloride .